Wednesday Weigh-In 20161110

I offered to relieve someone of her huge bowl of leftover Halloween candy on Monday. I left the full bowl in the cafeteria at work on Tuesday morning. In two hours it was all gone except for several pieces of bubblegum. Somehow I managed to limit myself to a miniature peppermint patty, which my wife gave me, and three pieces of bubblegum. This despite the fact that there were plenty of Butterfinger bars to tempt me.

Waist = 40.5"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Post Election Speech

Many friends and relatives, both online and in real life, are upset, stunned, ashamed, worried, etc. about the results of yesterday's election. Their reactions are extreme in some cases.

One loved one exclaimed, "Don't say to me to relax, take a deep breath, everyone's gonna be alright...":

But we do need to relax; we do need to breathe. However we should not be complacent and assume that everything will work out.  We must work hard to tip the scales back toward love and compassion.  Treat all humanity with respect and honor.  All life is precious.

As an artist / engineer, I can do this.  I think you can, too. A difficult challenge has been set before us, and we will "up our game" to meet and exceed this challenge.  Be positive.  Be a beacon of light and hope.  Only then will everything be alright.

Peace and love to you all!

Hand Made Low Carb Ice Cream

For those of us on a low carb diet, ice cream is off limits.  Even the sugar-free varieties that I've seen in the store are filled with artificial sweeteners and maltodextrin.  Sure they're lower carb, but the sweetness would be enough to throw me into a sugar-seeking binge,  So I made my own version from pure heavy cream, vanilla extract and a modest amount of stevia.

I don't have an ice cream maker, so I used a method described on the Handle the Heat website.  It's very satisfying, meaning I don't need to eat a lot in order to satisfy my ice cream craving.  I controlled the sweetness to a bare suggestion of sweet, relying on the vanilla to carry the illusion of real ice cream.

I have stevia powder, which I first liquified with about a tablespoon of hot water.

Dream: Widow Maker

I awake early.  It's only about 4:10am, and there's no chance I can fall back to sleep quickly.  I get up and go outside wearing nothing but my T-shirt and undershorts.

It's light out already.

I walk to the right side of the house.  Something about the trees looks “off.”  Then I look up and notice that one of the trees isn't even touching the ground.  It's actually a “widow maker” -- a huge branch that broke off and is now hanging in mid air.  It's so huge that it's the size of a tree.  I make a note of not walking below it from now on.

A truck pulls up in front of the house.  It's the landscapers!  On a Saturday!  And I'm outside in my underwear!  I rush inside to hide from them.


It's later in the day.  I'm outside with my wife, again on the right side of the house.  I point out the widow maker after she walks underneath it.  Then I grab a long pole and use it to pull the widow maker down.

Our outdoor party has begun.  I get distracted by some young boys next to a white plastic folding table. They want me to drink a soda.  I really don't want to, but I don't want to hurt their feelings, so I stall.  Then I realize that I can be very entertaining by “preparing myself” to taste-test the soda.  I clear my throat, lick my lips and smack them.  I do increasingly more bizarre things like humming through my throat and then through my nose.  I shake my head vigorously so that my jowls flap about.  I hum again though my nose.  But then I notice that the humming doesn't stop – I can't make it stop!  What great excuse not to drink the soda – a nasal sound that won't go away!  I apologize to the boys and walk away.

[As I awoke, I found out that the humming was due to a leak of my CPAP mask.  The sound was coming from the silicone seal, which was vibrating.]

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161102

Well, it's November, and I'm not participating in NaBloPoMo this year. But at least my diet is working!

Waist = 40.5"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161026

I wish I could say that I've been sticking to the lo-carb diet 100%. But alas, I caved in to some sweet treats since last week: candy-coated almonds; jelly beans; candy corn. Also, yesterday and this morning I ate Chinese food, which undoubtedly contained wheat and sugar in the sauce. I'm glad I didn't gain more than a half pound!

Waist = 41.0"
Height = 5' 9"

References:

1. Wikipedia BMI page
2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Easy Homemade Mayonnaise

Ever since I found out how easy it is to make mayonnaise from scratch, I've been whipping together one-cup batches.  I follow the basic process described by The Healthy Foodie and use my own ingredients, which includes (in addition to the large egg and 1 cup extra light olive oil):

¼ teaspoon dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional, for a taste more like "Bell Menz")

Be sure to keep the immersion blender at the very bottom of the jar until the emulsion stops "blooming."  (If you lift the blender too soon, the mayonnaise will be very runny, but it might be salvageable by adding another egg.) Then slowly lift the blender to incorporate the rest of the oil.

Why go through all this fuss?  Why not just eat store-bought mayo?  Commercial mayo is made from inferior, highly-refined, GMO oil.  Even the products sold in health food stores are made from canola oil, whose ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is not favorable.  Besides, homemade mayonnaise is so much more delicious, and you can vary the recipe to make a dressing.  For example, you might add horseradish to complement roast beef, or Worcester sauce for a spicy sushi dish.

A batch lasts at least two weeks, but you'll probably finish it before then.

Try it!

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2016-12-30 SPG Edited to add the optional maple syrup.

2023-12-26 SPG Add details about egg and oil, plus the paragraph about keeping the blender at the bottom of the jar.